Palmer was born in Latrobe, Pa., and attended Wake Forest University on a golf scholarship. After a three-year stint in the Coast Guard, Palmer moved to Cleveland where he sold paint for a living. His name became widely known after he won the 1954 U.S. Amateur at the Country Club of Detroit.

“That victory was the turning point in my life,” he once said. “It gave me confidence I could compete at the highest level of the game.”

Of course, Palmer then went on to win The Masters in 1958, 1960, 1962 and 1964, the British Open twice and the U.S. Open once.

(Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images)

However, one of Palmer’s most famous achievements didn’t come from the links — it was made in the kitchen.

The golfer had his own drink named after him, a mixture of half iced tea and half lemonade that he made in his own home for years. He said the concoction went “well with everything from a cheeseburger to a liverwurst sandwich to a cup of soup.”

(Photo: Getty Images)

Palmer, known as “The King,” was also known for his manner — he shook every hand and signed every autograph.

“I’m flattered by the fact that people want to talk to me or shake hands with me or get an autograph,” he once told Esquire in 2014. “I feel flattered that they want that. And I try to do all I can to accommodate.”

(Photo: Hunter Martin/Getty Images)

Speculations about Palmer’s health surfaced this year after he stopped hitting the ceremonial first tee shot at The Masters, which he had done every year since 2007.